"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spar!"


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Notice how he sounds like Shakespeare? This is what I didn't do a good job vocalizing during class. The tone of the writing matches the tension of the situation, the climax of the novel. The whale is “all-destroying but unconquering”. This means that while Ahab's death is inevitable, his spirit has not been broken. Ahab dies as he began, defiant but aware of his fate. He is, spiritually, already in “hell’s heart,” and he realizes his own imminent death. His final curse is the evidence of his conviction.

And also, a complaint: What the heck is a unique Literary Device!?!?!?!?! Unique means 'one of a kind'. How can there be a unique literary device??? ARGHHHHH!!!!!!